Archive for August, 2010

One of the games that excited me from the 1963 match between Mikhail Botvinnik and T. Petrosian came in the 14th game for the world title. I remember I could hardly wait for my copy of CHESS REVIEW to arrive and I was most rewarded with this game. Once again M. Botvinnik essays the Exchange Variation but shows there is more than one way to handle the opening.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7.

The idea of this Bishop move instead of 3… Nf6 is to avoid White’s Bg5.

7. … Be6 8. h3. Botvinnik also tried 8.Bd3 in the 12th game of this match and later 8. h4 against Spassky at Leiden, 1970.

8….Nf6 9. Bd3 c5. The classic method of meeting a wing demonstration with a counteraction in the center.

10. Nf3 Nc6 11. Kf1 O-O 12. Kg2 cxd4 13. Nxd4! Nxd4 14. exd4. The mastership of Botvinnik shows itself in this rather unusual gain of a tempo resulting from his exchanging Knights and freeing up the f3 square for his f-pawn to occupy.

14. … d7 15. Qc2 Nf6 16. f3 Rc8 17. Be5. White has a 12/9 SqCt (squares attacked into both camps). I see no miscues by Black, yet the passivity of his forces and pawn structure appears to negate any hint of establishing a counter blow to offset White’s strong initiative. Petrosian now attempts to aid his own camp with an exchange of dark square Bishops. The isolanis however tend to favor White in such an exchange. Botvinnik continues with developing his Rook and the exchange that commences ups the tempo plus.

A number of important games came after this battle; Korchnoi vs Karpov (Merano, 1981); World Championship match Karpov/Kasparov saw several games where both players played both colors featuring the Bf4 line of the Exchange Variation. There are many games from various CHESS INFORMANTS, opening books like NIC and MCO. While these sources should be checked, my lessons here are designed to offer a method of expanding your knowledge and historical development of openings as played today with some key games that added to the theory of the QGD–Exchange Variation.

In Part I the game Botvinnik vs Keres illustrated the importance of opening theory and innovative ideas. Just the simple development of the Nge2 instead of Ngf3 deployment most likely was a result of home preparation by Botvinnik and his trusted assistant in chess analysis. It was also likely that they had anticipated that Paul Keres would select his favorite defense against the latter where he had been so successful. Botvinnik recognized that his threat of a Q-side minority attack, common in this opening system that follows Rab1 would encourage black’s …Bd6 and subsequent play shows that to be an actual error and loss of tempo voiding the effective counter action for Black of …c5. Following this game, players knew Black could not stop central action by White and the immediate deployment of f3 led to sharp play favorable to White.

Black must now determine a method of countering White’s intended central e3-e4 but White also has an alternative play of g4 followed by Ng3. However, Black cannot prevent e3-e4 by 12…c5 because 12. Rad1 with the jump-move threat of 13. Bxf6 or 13. dxc5 followed by 14. Nd5. GM Timoshchenko against Shereshevsky, Minsk, the USSR Armed Forces Team Championship, tried to reduce White’s active pieces by 11…Nh5!? 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. e4 dxe4 14. fxe4 and after 14…Bg4 he had active play against the center.

15. Rf2!?

Again my Square Count Theory shows up with a good play. That is the deployment of Rooks on the half open f-file with pressure on f7. See my article on the f7 square weakness. This tactical plan causes Black to lose tempi in it’s defense.

The retreating Knight has served it’s purpose but also has enabled White to redeploy his forces advantageously to good squares.

21. h3 Bc8 22. Nd2 Bd7 23. Nc4 Qe7 24. d6!

Perhaps following the ideas from MY SYSTEM by Dr. Nimzowitsch, “The lust of a passed pawn to expand!” The strategic importance of the f-file and sq. f7 shows up as well. The actual play ended in a draw by agreement but the following analysis by students of Shereshevsky uncovered winning chances as follows:

Whether the 24. d6 advance was best is hard to say. Obviously there is probably room for improvement and certainly testing with a high class computer program might uncover improvements or point out flaws in human analysis. One question is if the central phalanx is strong or weak. It seems to me that White has a clear advantage in space, time and stategically superior. The pressure is on the defense and with time clock ticking, White has good chances.

WHAT IF A CONSERVATIVE UNKNOWN RAN FOR GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK STATE? Obviously there are no takers. Fact is you need $$. A friend posed an interesting thought that he would play the role of interviewer and if I would accept the time to answer his questions and be the sunshine candidate. Maybe sunshine is the right word because it sounded to me like I was sure to be baked in the lawnchair where I had determined to share some lemonade with my buddy and energize the D3 pill I took on orders from doc. Anyway he suggested I put it on my blog as a lark. Oh-Oh-Oh and lol (lots of laughs). This is not the subject matter of any value I tried to rebut his argument but he said no harm trying. I also pointed out that I was a member of the New York Conservative Party and NYS was liberal and the heavily populated eastern portion of the state favored Democrat control. Who would want the job of governor anyway. Just look at the budget shortfall and career politicians who drink from the deep well. My objections met with a blank stare and a determined rascal who refused to give way. So like any good politico which I am not I had to give in and sit in the hot seat which, by now, had warmed greatly in what appeared to be one of the hotest days of the summer. My texas sombrero and Hawaiian shortsleeve shirt and shorts were my only real protection from the sun rays. All I could say was OKEDOKEE.

What would be your general policy if elected Governor? Ans. You have to understand that the governor has power but the greater power behind the king’s throne is Silver. He is a thorn in any governor’s side as well as those of a conservative legislative leaning. He is largely responsible in my view of the state budget being sidetracked year-in-and-year out. That is the crux of the economic and repeated shortfall for a balanced budget. Spending outstrips incoming receipts. And there is no end to the elitest liberal rule that exists. It would be good to have limited terms for elective office as some have suggested but then that raises the question of losing quality leadership and legislative members of experience. That can be important in having a well run body. This thought would be remedied because most legislative personnel would be retained who do the nuts and bolts of everyday office work, many of whom deal with the public or legislative schedules. That is probably the thoughts I would have entering office. But at the moment I think a new elected governor must work closely with the outgoing governor so the transition takes place with the least problems facing a new administration. Management of state affairs and leadership by using the office to inject oversight of project planning and attaining the cooperation with leaders of both houses is paramount to success. I would promote the idea of brainstorming at meetings to assure drawing out the best from the whole body involved. This would involve education, the business climate, promoting tourism, and building trust that our state will reverse the loss of population by promoting safety, economic and environmental assets that our regional location offers.

How would you handle the anger that exists in NYC between the muslims and residents? Ans. As I understand it the building will be both for religious services as well as open for a variety of activities but it troubles me why the site has remained undeveloped. The city needs a structure for a recreation area where youth and adults alike can interact and various clubs can be housed there on a rent or lease basis. It would add to the attractiveness for city activity and tourism. An olympic size swimming pool, track, physical training, meeting rooms, library, eateries would be possible ideas. What troubles me is what purpose has a muslim holy mosque that dictionary definition implies; but as I understand it also reminds me of a type of Y. Who is funding this project? Where is the money coming from to build it and who will maintain it? How does it affect the tax base due to it being a religious building? In my opinion the state cannot nor can the city afford to exempt it from much needed tax revenue. A lot of objections exist as well support for such a project but knowing New Yorkers and workers, just building the structure could be undermined by union workers even if union bosses are okay with it. There definitely is a lot of anger out there and should there be any at all? Moving the site seems reasonably to meet the needs of both sides by defusing the obvious ranker, further distrust and outright possibility of hostile rebellion of voters. There are a lot of folks out there who have questions that are not being answered to their satisfaction nor mine. And the site will be a lasting and tragic memory, perhaps for generations.

How do you view New York State as a place to live, work and play? Ans. That is an easy one word answer. BALANCE. New York State is blessed with millions of tree varieties, excellent roadways, travel routes, communities of various size and attractions. There are many interesting places to visit throughout the state. The largest park in the United States with beautiful lakes, trails, great fishing, and areas to meet the needs and interests for swimming, boating, skiing, hiking and bike trails and even mountain climbing. Numerous rest stops dot the state major routes. New York City is one of the great attractions to visitors and workers alike. And don’t forget it has a great sports menu with championship quality professional teams as well as a host of amateur sport menus. The state has just about everything one could desire. Much of our tax revenues go toward bussing and quality schools K-12, junior colleges and some of the finest universities. Shopping centers and homes are well situated within relatively easy reach by car or transit. Finally, I would say our relatively mild climate having Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter months with weather that is … oh, oh. That has got to end this interview chat because the sudden cloud formation and thunder coming in from the west along the lake front suggests we get inside. Yep, here it comes. The rain should clear off the heat. (I won’t tell him that it will end in about 10-15 minutes I figure so I won’t go into any more of this make believe.) God, how would I, what would I ever do as a governor of New York, the greatest state in the UNION? But I have no illusions that anyone but a liberal will ever sit in the governor’s mansion. Ever?

MY OWN CHESS DEVELOPMENT EMERGED DURING THE 1940s to early 1960s thanks to the chess magazines CHESS REVIEW and The AMERICAN CHESS QUARTERLY. I guess my favorite players had their games published and analyzed by the famous Hans Kmoch with occasional notes and analysis provided by the players themselves or guest commentators. Of course the era from the 1800s through those current years often got a share of interesting stories, photos and games that it seems to me is what is so attractive about chess reads.

Chess enthusiasts today remember the many verbal exchanges by leading players in the chessworld with sometimes bitter fury thrown in. Going back to the era of Alekhine, Capablanca and Euwe, all seemingly mild in comparison to the later chess community heated exchanges that touch on the debates about Mikhail Botvinnik and Paul Keres. Many believed Paul Keres was cheated out of the right to be world champion by Botvinnik. The Russian champion was no pushover and was among the leading exponents of the game during the 1930s and finalized in his winning the world title following Alekhine’s death by his lst place in the AVRO. The Estonian, Paul Keres, many thought was the strongest player and most brilliant attacking player and the huge following he garnered at tournaments and public appearances were enriched by writers and players alike. Mikhail Botvinnik was the darling of the communist chessworld and indeed was a staunch supporter of the communist system. His own personality had shortcomings and had the air of superiority over and among his rivals.

Perhaps after all this time and chance to view the games of these two players some vindication of Botvinnik’s sole claim to the world championship and numero uno among the chess elite of the world during that period is justified.

How to study the opening is a personal choice and there are varied ways to achieve such purpose. Much depends upon desire but library space, chess books, magazines, computer-tech chess programs, and practice with friends or aid of a chess coach must conclude with time available and time spent to form a learning curve. For this purpose and to interact with my previous comments above, I present some games in one of the more ancient Queen Gambit Declined variations to illustrate how original games are followed by study for the purpose of introducing a new idea or plan that build upon the foundation of that curve.

1. d4 d5 2. c4. The Queen’s Gambit is not really a gambit at all other than identify to it the lure of the d5 pawn away from the center by 2…dxc4. Normally the pawn cannot be successfully defended on c4 so that White will eventually capture it usually with the Bishop, Knight, or the ricocheting maneuver Qa4+ and Qxc4 to follow. It is one of the oldest openings going back to the 1490 Gottingen manuscript and subsequently analyzed by Greco and Salvio. It did not gain popularity or a close examination until the late 19th century. In 1843, Carl von Janisch wrote that he considered 2…e6 to be the best defense and supported by many players to this day.

Many branches have evolved through time and testing analysis in recorded games. The variety of styles of players have discovered opening variations with names like Cambridge Springs Defense, Exchange Variation, Lasker’s Defense, Manhattan Variation, Tarrasch Defense, The Orthodox Defense, The Tartakower Variation, Albin Counter Gambit, Semi-Slav Variation and assorted oddities. White has its own prescription for attacks like The Classical Variation with 5.Bf4 favored somewhat by Victor Korchnoi and earlier by Steinitz and Nimsowitsch, The Petrosian Variation and The Reynolds Variation.

With the enormity of such host variations, sub-variants etc. it is not possible to here give a credible account so I shall attempt to limit the investigation to a rather easy to play variation and one championed by many great players during their careers at the chessboard. My objective will be to give some guidance that you can apply to the discovery of other openings and how to best learn and understand the ideas and plans.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5

Correct planning as the pawn recapture is far superior to Nxd5. It opens the long diagonal for the QBishop and maintains a pawn in the center. Capturing with the Knight would allow a strong center with 5. e4 with a subsequent gain of tempi and rapid open lines for White. This is the Exchange Variation of the QGD and made popular in the United States by the great boy prodigy Samuel Reshevsky who employed it in important games as did Larry Evans and Robert Byrne among many American chess stars.

5. Bg5 c6 6. Qc2 Be7 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 O-O.

At this point White has two very different approaches to try and both yield promising middlegame action.

I shall now examine a game strategy and tactics by former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik versus Paul Keres. The game starts with the Exchange Variation. Moscow 1952.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5.

Keres’ handling of the opening deserves comment. He elects to adopt the standard QGD but notice that he did not give his opponent a certainty of just what opening he would employ in defense. The idea of retaining options is probably moot at this elite level.

Botvinnik cunningly alters the usual Nf3 deployment and then follows it up with Rb1 suggesting to Keres that he plans the famous Minority Attack on the Q-side. Keres proceeds with one of his favorite methods of dealing with the wing action which turns out to be flawed given the Knight deployment to e2. A sharp attack would have met Nf3 with jump moves like …Nf8>Ng6; …h6 and after Bxf6, Qxf6 prepares the lively …Bg4 and …Nh4.

11. … Bd6? 12. Kh1!!

Sheer genius in concept and removes the diabolical threat of …Bxh2+ answering Kxh2 by Ng4+.

12. … Ng6 13. f3!!

Keres must have bit his lip when seeing how he was outfoxed. No, there is no minority attack coming as Botvinnik turns his attention to advancing in the center with e3-e4 and the way Keres had met such advance in the past with c5 was not feasible now. The loss of tempo to retreat the Bishop illustrates the value of time and space in chess.

Any fangs that Keres possessed have been extracted leaving his position in dire straights. In other words, Black soon finds himself KAPUT. How often do you find yourself in the shoes of Keres as here?

20. …dxe4 21. fxe4 Rad8 22. e5 Nd5 23. Ne4!

In such positions, avoid exchanges especially when a Knight can invade the enemy camp with threats like Nd6. Say …Nc7 24. Nd6 contains the dual threat following Ne8 by 25. Nxc8 or 25.Nxf7.

It is worth noting here my article on the value of pieces where I vary decidely different from published book exchange values. Review my previous columns and you will find it and see if you agree with me or the books.

Keres struggles desperately hoping for a misplay but the iceman whom I nickname here freezes the enemy units to near zugswang.

23. …Nf8 24. Nd6 Qc7 25. Be4 Ne6.

With today’s modern GMs, computer analysis probably would go into an Exchange shortage by Rxd6, getting a Knight and Pawn for the Rook and trying to blunt the worst of the white initative. With the text, he probably visualized a calculated position that would offer stiff resistance.

26. Qh4 g6 27.Bxd5 cxd5 28. Rc1 Qd7 29. Rc3 Rf8

And the mystro of attack and defense eyes 30. Rh3 with f5 as a solution but is now surprised to see the old saying, “There is more than one way to ice the point!”

With this game, it became clear that the powerful pawn minority attack on the Q-side when the Knight is developed to e2 instead of f3 offers an additional plan of operations in the center starting with f3, Ng3, e4 and made more effective when Black plays Bd6 as did Keres in this game. It was then found that Rb1 was not necessary and could go directly into center play with Rae1. But this game strategy of Botvinnik set the stage for a number of new ideas to put into play. Sometimes it is one game or a number of games that analysis and home study preparing for tournaments or match play uncovers. Chess is the playground of the mind and stimulus for those with imaginative and creative power.

I really envy Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam. He had the rare invite to what appears to be perhaps the grandest chess library collection thanks to collector of such gems and you now find yourself sharing a visit and the acquaintance of David DeLucia who states, “A great collection should be what you really love.” A man of rare neatness, the whole of it is extremely well categorized and laid out. Being a private person, Mr. DeLucia went about locating and getting the most extensive and valuable collection. Here is what NEW IN CHESS article by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam has to say about the enormous and personal library. His catalogue and two photo books illustrate for fellow collectors the very rich quality of the DeLucia library. Probably for security reasons, few know of or where the collection is located and few outside of family have the honor to get an invite to view it. After all, the wealth of any magnificent product just has to be enjoyed even if to a limited fellow cherishers of history and beauty.

Some of the collection described in NIC magazine 5/2010, pages 10-21, with pictures, are the finest copies of the rarest books, countless classics signed by authors, a 15th century Lucena manuscript, scoresheets ranging from Fischer’s Game of the Century, all the games from the 1927 New York Tournament, eight letters by Paul Morphy, over 100 manuscripts of Emmanuel Lasker, the gold watch of Jose R. Capablanca, the contract of the 1886 Steinitz vs. Zukertort lst World Chess Championship.

David DeLucia spent his working years on Wall Street and in a number of capacities. He says he was much more the casino rather than the gambler. He made money without gambling. And by what I have read about some of the professional chess players who gamble, let that be a lesson to learn! Only the casino wins in the long run!

In the beginning he started out moderately gaining materials that were rich in history and slowly built his library empire. Like so many hobbies and interests, such labor became a work of perfection and devoted love. As a wealthy collector, he had the rare occasion to meet numerous collectors who were willing to transfer it to him for cash.

If you are interested in chess literature, then I recommend the excellent chess magazine, NEW IN CHESS.

Little known facts: The Romanian chess tournament director Elisabeta Polihroniade is a famous chess celebrity in Romania. For twenty-four years she hosted a chess program on TV!! Now, I ask you, why cannot America produce a national chess TV show? I think it is the wrong approach by those who have tried it. They basically are shortlived adventures. What is needed is a host that can make chess exciting, informative to listeners, and who can conduct truly good interviews with guests that represent both professional and amateur alike. For example, shows might show simultaneous exhibitions with interviews prior to the start by the pro as well as with some of the opponents he or she will meet. Interviews with talented youth as well as oldtimers. Throw in some chess problems for viewers to solve with solutions given at the end of the broadcast. Interviews featuring differences in local, regional, national and international play along with coverage of the chess olympics past and present.

Hey, Kindred, if you want to see professional discussion of games you have them on Worldwide Chess and the Internet Chess Club. True, but my point is the general public does not have access to that site or have any curiosity to check-into-it (no pun intended). Years ago I wrote an article on Americans love of instant gratifications regarding sports. Why soccer is European and not American can be seen in the dull slow low scoring games and chasing the ball without real action. No comparison to baseball, football or basketball where sport enthusiasts sit on the edge of their seats with a beer or coke in hand.

I spend a lot of time reading the ingredients in any food purchased at my local market. Why? I could say women and men shopping in the aisle appear to observe my dedication to understanding and comparing brands, etc. I noticed the idea seems to take hold with others. That is good. A grocery cart often tells the dining habits and likes of a family. Am I getting on the bandwagon and want to hang with the Obama family? Hardly. Good habits and health regarding eating has been known for a long time. Still, food junkies dot every location on the national map. As a conservative I do not believe government should be involved with feeding us or telling us what we can and cannot eat.

School days past when I was just a lad starting school, mom used to pack me a lunch that I took in a handsome lunch pail adorned with some cheerful looking animals. But soon she decided that I should have a hot lunch and gave me money to buy a meal ticket that the cafeteria worker would punch. Those meals featured a variety of dishes with proportions likely meant to deal with calorie count. Beverage was usually milk or sometimes a fruit drink was offered like grape or apple juice. Take your pick. No seconds. One of my favorite desserts was cake with a cherry topping and sometimes a jello with varied flavors and a bit of whipped creme topping. We had no pop machines or any kind of candy offerings. Halls had water fountains and that was it. Right now I suffer hunger pains just thinking about those school days and cafeteria! Even so, mom would insist on my taking a lunch occasionally where she would put a juicy apple, pear or peach–whatever happened to be in season along with a sandwich that she made such as peanut butter, egg salad, tuna salad or tomato.

There is of course another type of label one gets a lot of today. That is name calling and political skullduggery where representatives do not live up to their responsibility of representing their constituents but far too often just following the dictates of their Party bosses and special interest groups. It was easy to pull the wool over the eyes of the masses years ago but today with modern technology, almost every conceivable brainstorm put into a proposed law is set before the public to scrutinize and hence the cry for populous support or denounce such legislation hits the fan of every legislator representing constituents who more freely express themselves. Of course the majority is not always right nor is the minority. Often the truth rests somewhere inbetween that muddies the water to such an extent that every bill passed is clouded in mystery until put into practice and sometimes months or years to witness results.

Chessplay is a great deal like that. What is good for a period and recommended becomes outmoded by discoveries that prove some flaw to a general consensus that such and such variation is or is not playable. Then, it only takes a fresh look, maybe months or years later, by viewing a position and giving a new approach makes it workable until something is built to refute and put it back into the mothballs again.

Most recent is the discovery and exposure that the FBI caved in to demands by the muslim society in America to remove the label ‘honor killing’ when girls were murdered by their father or other family member. Thank you FBI for bowing down to the dictates of foreign people who do not swear allegiance to America but cling and demand the rules of their own former Land emigrated from. We are a nation of immigrants but also one where for all time such immigrants swore allegiance to the United States as new citizens. Watering down this long standing to uphold any such allegiance to their former homeland only weakens and forces citizens to question the loyalty of such groups that practice this barbaric so called justified homicide. This is an abomination in the eyes of Americans and punishment should be weiled as in any murder case.

Yes, labels can exist in many forms and words can often twist the meanings and some definitions have varied meanings of words but it requires us to peer at the meaning with wisdom and understanding.

Adios for now!

TAKE A BOW LEFTIES! You deserve it. How can a Conservative say this? Certainly not with a straight face but rather a wry smile. You see, LEFTIES and PINKOS, I have history on my side! along with some pretty good reason to believe we exist in FREEDOM today despite the corney characters that too often made up our Congresses in the past. No change. No sir. The days of old with the first Congress and thereafter, bickering and self-interests motivated much that went on with only a handful of dedicated FREEDOM lovers to do battle and keep the LAND free of tyranny. Thankfully the good Lord must have intervened as according to Herbert W. Armstrong, head of the Wide World Church of God, noted in his Bible study lessons that our Nation was blessed with righteous power that came from God so long as the people maintained that love of freedom and kept principles established in our U.S. Constitution, etc. Regrettably Bobby Fischer swallowed the dictates of Garner Ted Armstrong for awhile before deciding the whole thing was a roast of sorts. Financial misdeeds as perceived by Fischer led to his breaking with the group.

Putting all this history aside, the TRUTH WILL WIN OUT. What we learn from this is that the message and not the messenger is the crux of the foundation upon which our beliefs are determined. If you want to be a Leftist, then it is your right. I am not going to kick the mascot political ass and say you are wrong (even though you know this is how I feel). But I don’t want retaliation of the same kind either. Just don’t kick the elephant because it gets real mad and unruly sometimes.

As my earlier writing about Reynolds and Mrs. Stevenson (Vera Menchik) being victims of the World War II axis enemy along with millions of folks who suffered uncertainties or death that included many in the chessworld, it must be wondered just what achievements these folks would have made in human contributions had they lived. But perhaps the very fact of human sacrifice to let freedom ring and tyranny be destroyed or least curbed, gave real peace and human advancement a chance. I said before, in the end days the people would cry out, “Where are our leaders? Why has God foresaken us?” Perhaps the answer comes from Jesus, “The Father knew you before you were born.” What a profound statement. No wonder they want to kill Jesus today and stamp out his followers. Such a comment needs deep thought. Why? Because it tells us that God had a purpose in developing a human embryo and that potential human being would be destined to achieve God’s will and blessing. To protect that child, God gave parents not to just give birth but also guidance and help in developing personality, qualities of good citizenship (remember Jesus said to give rulers their due (taxes) and build character upon which Satan would find hard to crack open. God gave us freedom to determine our own goals and life and consequently Satan was likewise given a free hand. The Bible tells us so and also the FATE that will befall Satan in the end time. Going back to the very question, that answer in my own opinion is that our potential leaders are being ABORTED.

My reflection upon chess as it pertains in likeness to Life itself is based largely upon the foundations of the two that mirror each other so closely. Call me a KOOK if you want and I know many probably find my square count theory weird and the individual power of the pieces as they relate to each other spoken of earlier in my lessons as being a new look as book authors write it up differently and with different perspective. I simply base my theories on observation mostly and how my own game play helped determine a faith in my system. But I also wonder that with the breakup of the USSR and of communism being exposed for its own shortfall of socialist hope as witnessed by many who fled the former USSR and other countries who embrace the socialist ideal that fosters power to the State instead of the people. No system is perfect because they are all based upon the human psychic and the human nature is such that goodness and evil live together and often embrace each other. The more powerful leaders become, the more they portray honor to the masses but secretly are like wolves licking their chops in a flock of sheep.

On the chessboard, the rules are clear and depend upon both standard and new variants of chess games that exist or can be made up. If the rules are not followed or cheating is discovered, such games become disfunctional. Life is like that. Those in political positions can destroy the confidence and respect of government by the governed. Length of service, goodwill through the years, catering to interest groups often lead to conditions that reflect poorly on the character makeup of the representative. It is forgotten or misunderstood that special interest groups often are the only way government leaders get exposed to the needs of various groups. Often, of course, those interests can be a benefit or a curse to the voting public, and undercut the effectiveness of leadership that often gives in to Satan’s con game of soul snatching. Lose your Soul and you lose Heaven and God’s blessing. That is kind of a bad bargain when you sell your Soul for such a cheap price.

A good work ethic and a belief foundation that governs your personal behavior to ego, family, business and social relationships helps toward a productive and successful life goal of peace within yourself.

GOD BLESS AMERICA and thanks for our strength and guidance in world affairs to keep the world safer and keep evil at bay.